


Leave the Nest

by TrufaxRex



Series: To the Sky [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Angst, Gen, Hurt Sam Winchester, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-09
Updated: 2013-02-09
Packaged: 2017-11-28 17:09:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/676845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrufaxRex/pseuds/TrufaxRex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Sam wants to leave the nest and Dean thinks that’s a stupid idea (Castiel was unavailable to comment)</p><p>"Being a Aviant who can't fly doesn't leave Sam with many options and his life basically comprises of three things - his books, his brother and Castiel. Sam has never been allowed to have a life of his own and had come to terms with the fact that his life would never amount to much. At least until Castiel brings a stranger home who might give him the chance to break free."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Leave the Nest

Dean isn’t looking at Sam as he buckles his pack over his wing and shoulder. Despite that, his mouth is drawn tight and every movement is tense as though hes already prepared for the fight that could potentially break out. All this really serves to do though is make Sam even more upset and the silence stretches between them like a line ready to snap. Despite that, its not until Dean is strapping his boots up that anything is said.

“I’d really like to go pick out inks for myself sometime, Dean.” Sam always starts out calmly, rationally as if this time he is sure that Dean will suddenly change his mind. “And I want to meet Cassie one day, you know? Actually talk with the person I’m translating these texts for. Actually see what she does with them?”

“She doesn’t do a damn thing with them.” Dean grunts and double-checks his pack. “She reads them. Other people read them. Its all very boring.”

“You would say that.” Sam frowns and looks up from the mess of books and paper spread out around him. Dean still refuses to even look him in the eye and Sam feels a familiar pulse of anger rush through him. Sam can’t remember a time when they weren’t arguing about Sam going into town with Dean. It happened inevitably every Sunday only minutes before Dean was about to head out – and end the same. It didn’t stop Sam from trying to get his way, of course.

“And you have enough to keep you occupied, huh?” Dean tries to lighten the mood now and turns to Sam with a strained grin on his face. His green eyes are hard though, set and unwavering. This isn’t something he is about to just let go. “Its been nearly a month since you last gave me something for her. You need all the time you can get to finish that up.”

Sam looked down at his work and grimaced slightly. This was his life, really, translating ancient documents and selling them to scholars in town. He made good money with it as well, only especially gifted or very old scholars could read many of the languages Sam deciphered, of those few almost none had the time and resources to do nothing but translate and copy everything. And Sam did enjoy his work, he loved to learn and he loved to read and he genuinely thought he was doing good helping others. It was also his only way of connecting with the outside world. Though he had never even met Cassie, the woman whom he sold his books to, they did communicate through letters. Truthfully Sam saw very few people – his companions solely consisted of Dean and Castiel.

“Sammy.” He looks up to see Dean looking at him, something akin to sadness in his eyes. But there is that weak smile, and Sam suddenly doesn’t feel like fighting. “Cas is gonna be back soon. Make sure you get this place cleaned up, okay? I’ll be back in time for dinner.”

Sam nods and watches as his brother heads out the door and down to the ground below. He wants to get up and follow, but can’t bring himself to watch as Dean pulls away with the cart full of his furniture and heads off into the town that Sam has only heard about and never seen. Its all too quiet once Dean is gone, there is barely a rustle of leaves this morning and he feels so crushingly alone that its makes him ache. 

He has always been a lonely creature. Ever since their parents died, Dean has protected Sam with the fierceness of Father protecting his newborn chicks. It just so happened that this was precisely the problem. Sam was now sixteen years old and he had never seen much of the outside world besides their tree and the river nearby. He had never even been on the ground without Dean or Castiel and the very idea of exploration was a novel concept to him.

He knew his brother was only trying to keep him safe. Sam and Dean were the last of their family, after a fire had taken their Mother and Father and severely damaged Sam’s wings. It was the fear of losing Sam, as well as the fear that the younger could not take care of himself that led Dean to keep him locked away from the outside world. And it hurt, that Dean would think he was so useless, and he knew without the ability to fly he was less but being kept like some pet almost made him feel inferior. It stung to see Dean with his tawny wings, flecked with brown and white spread proudly as he took off to the sky. And if it stung to see Dean, it was a punch to the gut to see Castiel.

His brother’s mate was so different. He came from a completely Aviant society, one that secluded itself from other creatures. Unlike Sam and Dean, his bloodline was pure and undiluted by humans or others. He had huge black wings, and sharp bird-like eyes, blue with an inky black pupil. He seemed to practically glow at times, and while Sam wouldn’t say he was ‘magic’ – there was definitely something enchanting and wonderful about him. His way of courting Dean had been so alien, and his mannerisms odd – but surprisingly enough Dean had been somewhat charmed and then eventually enamored. Castiel had treated Sam almost as an extension of Dean, courting him in a much less aggressive fashion. They bonded over books and languages and Castiel taught him everything he new about Aviant history and culture.

Castiel was good to him, and didn’t seem to mind his awkwardness, or his useless wings – forever folded up against his back. The older Aviant never touched them though, and sometimes Sam caught him looking at him with obvious pity. It made Sam want to run and hide, but there was nowhere he could escape to. Nowhere he was allowed to go when he needed to just get away.

He just sat and paced and worked in their nest in the tree, looking down at the ground below and the sky above and hating that his life would always be in-between the two. Never exploring one or the other because of his brother’s fear and even his own anxieties. 

He had tried to fly only once, when he was younger. Dean had gone out for the day, and the night before had been the full moon when most Aviant’s took to the sky and became one with the night and the air and the stars. Sam had wanted to join him more than anything and the next day he had tried to jump from their nest and fly like he had seen his brother do. He had nearly killed himself in the process, his flight wings hadn’t grown, and his wings had always been sort of frail and stiff. He was lucky to walk away with a broken arm and bruised ribs. After that incident though, Dean had been so scared that he bound Sam’s wings for nearly two weeks and made him swear he would never try anything like it again.

He had cried and whined about how unfair it all was, but eventually conceded and never made another attempt. He had been sure that one day his wings would grow big and strong with beautiful flight feathers like his big brother. But they never did. They grew big, magnificent brown with gold flecks and black tips, but his flight feathers never came and more often than not if he tried to move his wings the feathers fell off and his muscles ached so bad it made him sick. Dean refused to even let him try flying, not even from the ground and threatening to bind his wings again. When Castiel arrived, he only confirmed that Sam’s flight feather's would never grow and the young Aviant would never be able to fly.

Sam was ashamed and embarrassed. He would never find a mate, and he would never be able to build a nest of his own or fly during the full moon with his brother. He would spend the rest of his days with nothing but his books and inks, being an encumbrance to Castiel and Dean with no future outside these walls. 

It was times when he had thoughts like these that he was glad Dean and Castiel left him alone. He was such a burden to them already, he would not bother them with his tears as well.


End file.
